§5771. Findings

The Congress finds that-

(1) each year thousands of children are abducted or removed from the control of a parent having legal custody without such parent's consent, under circumstances which immediately place the child in grave danger;

(2) many missing children are at great risk of both physical harm and sexual exploitation;

(3) in many cases, parents and local law enforcement officials have neither the resources nor the expertise to mount expanded search efforts;

(4) abducted children are frequently moved from one locality to another, requiring the cooperation and coordination of local, State, and Federal law enforcement efforts;

(5) the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children-

(A) serves as the national resource center and clearinghouse;

(B) works in partnership with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State, and many other agencies in the effort to find missing children and prevent child victimization; and

(C) operates a national and increasingly worldwide network, linking the Center online with each of the missing children clearinghouses operated by the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as with Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, and others, which enable the Center to transmit images and information regarding missing children to law enforcement across the United States and around the world instantly.

(Pub. L. 93–415, title IV, §402, as added Pub. L. 98–473, title II, §660, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2125 ; amended Pub. L. 106–71, §2(a), Oct. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1032 ; Pub. L. 108–96, title II, §201, Oct. 10, 2003, 117 Stat. 1171 .)

Prior Provisions

A prior section 402 of Pub. L. 93–415 amended section 3888 of this title and repealed section 3889 of this title, and was repealed by Pub. L. 95–115, §10, Oct. 3, 1977, 91 Stat. 1061 , and Pub. L. 107–273, div. C, title II, §12221(a)(4), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1894 .

Amendments

2003-Pub. L. 108–96 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section consisted of pars. (1) to (21) stating findings of Congress.

1999-Pars. (9) to (21). Pub. L. 106–71 added pars. (9) to (21).

Effective Date

Subchapter effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 670(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as an Effective Date of 1984 Amendment note under section 5601 of this title.

Short Title

For short title of title IV of Pub. L. 93–415, which enacted this subchapter, as the "Missing Children's Assistance Act", see section 401 of Pub. L. 93–415, as added by Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 5601 of this title.